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  Multiple Jobholding Rates Higher in Rural AmericaBy Mark Mather and Melissa Scopilliti (September 2004) In 2003, there were 1.8 million people in rural America who held two or more jobs, representing 6 percent of all rural workers.1 Although this represents a relatively small proportion of the rural work force, there are several midwestern states, including Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Utah, where 2003 multiple jobholding rates exceeded 10 percent. In metropolitan counties, by comparison, about 5 percent of workers held multiple jobs in 2003. The U.S. multiple jobholding rate, which registered in 2003 at 5.3 percent, has dropped slightly in recent years since peaking at 6.2 percent in 1996. Why Do Americans Take Multiple Jobs?Multiple jobholders in the United States include wage or salary workers who hold two or more jobs, self-employed workers who also hold a wage or salary job, and unpaid family workers who also hold a wage or salary job.2 Research has shown that people take second jobs for a variety of reasons. Some do so because they enjoy the work or want to pursue other economic opportunities while earning a steady wage from a primary job.3 Others seek a second job because they are unable to work enough hours or earn enough money in their primary jobs to support themselves or their families. However, underemployment-characterized by low-wage jobs, involuntary part-time employment, and discouraged workers-is a serious problem in many U.S. rural communities.4 In the Midwest, many people working in small-scale agriculture take second jobs because they cannot earn enough money in farming to support their families. Others work part-time in farming because they enjoy the work, and can use the money to supplement their nonfarm income.5 Table 1 compares the reasons workers cited for holding multiple jobs in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Workers in both categories most often took second jobs for economic reasons-either to earn extra money or to cover basic expenses. In 2001, about 37 percent of urban workers held multiple jobs in order to earn extra money, compared with 33 percent of rural workers.
Table 1
Source: Population Reference Bureau, analysis of data from the 2001 Current Population Survey (May Supplement).
In contrast, rural workers were more likely to report that they needed the money to pay household expenses or debts (30 percent), compared with urban workers (28 percent). And nearly a fifth of workers in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas took second jobs because they enjoy the work. (Data on trends and characteristics of multiple jobholders are based on annual averages of monthly data from the 2003 Current Population Survey. More detailed estimates on the reasons for holding two or more jobs are based on data from a special supplement to the May 2001 Current Population Survey.) Multiple Jobholders: More Often ProfessionalsWho is the most likely to hold more than one job? An analysis of monthly labor force data from the 2003 Current Population Survey shows that multiple jobholding rates are highest among workers who are white, have bachelor's degrees, and who are employed in professional occupations. Higher rates of multiple jobholding for professionals reflect the higher demand for skilled workers with college degrees, as well as the flexible work schedules of many professional positions. In rural areas, elementary and secondary school teachers—who often have time to pursue other opportunities during the summer months—are the most likely to hold second jobs. The most common second jobs taken by rural residents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, involve work in farming/fishing/forestry, followed closely by service occupations.6 Workers who did not graduate from high school cite very different reasons for taking second jobs compared to college graduates (see Table 2). In 2001, about 82 percent of moonlighters who did not graduate from high school said they took a second job for economic reasons, while only 8 percent took a second job because they enjoy the work. Among workers with at least a bachelor's degree, however, about half took a second job for economic reasons and a fourth were moonlighting because they enjoyed the work. These patterns were similar for multiple jobholders living in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Table 2
Source: Population Reference Bureau, analysis of data from the 2001 Current Population Survey (May Supplement).
Mark Mather is a policy analyst at the Population Reference Bureau.
American women are slightly more likely to hold multiple jobs than men, but are less likely to work full-time in their primary job. In 2003, about 63 percent of male multiple jobholders held a full-time job, compared with 48 percent of female multiple jobholders. Nearly a third of men and a quarter of women holding multiple jobs in rural U.S. areas reported that their work hours fluctuated from week to week. References
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